Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries
61. Hail Purdue Sheet Music
The University’s official fight song dates to 1912. James Morrison wrote the lyrics to a piece he originally dubbed “Purdue War Song.” Morrison wrote to alumnus Edward Wotawa, who had directed the Men’s Glee Club before graduating earlier that year, and asked him to set it to music.
Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries
62. Harlequin Doll
From the collection of Claudia (Williams) Mournout (HHS’70, MS HHS’71), professor emerita of speech, language, and hearing sciences. Likely made in the 1950s, the doll was given to Mournout by a relative when she was admitted to Purdue as an undergraduate in 1966. Mournout doesn’t know much about the doll’s history but says she enjoyed having it by her side during her Purdue journey.
63. Heavilon Bells
The four bells in the Bell Tower date to 1895, when they were installed in the newly rebuilt Heavilon Hall tower. The original building was destroyed in a terrible fire just four days after its dedication in 1894. President James Smart declared that Heavilon would be rebuilt “one brick higher.” The tower’s clock and four bells were new features in the gleaming engineering structure, which was actually nine bricks higher. Cast in Troy, New York, the bells weigh 1,200, 600, 300, and 200 pounds. They were a gift from the Ladies’ Matinee Musicale in Lafayette, according to inscriptions on the bells. After the second Heavilon was razed in 1956 to make way for a third, the bells were put in storage until the Bell Tower was constructed in 1995. The tower, which stands 160 feet tall and is made of red brick trimmed with limestone, is a modern architectural interpretation of the old Heavilon Hall tower.
64. Heavilon Clock
After 55 years in storage, the clock that once adorned the second Heavilon Hall, then home to Purdue engineering, was restored and installed in the atrium of the Mechanical Engineering Building’s Gatewood Wing in 2011. The clock is displayed in full working condition with its original nine-foot pendulum.
Learn about the restoration of the clock
65. Ice Cream Mold
The Purdue Creamery, housed in Smith Hall from 1910 to 1969, served up ice cream cones and frozen treats in all manner of shapes formed with pewter molds. This custom Purdue Pete ice cream mold was used for special functions at the president’s home. The hole in the center allows the ice cream to be easily removed from the mold.
Taste original recipe Purdue Creamery ice cream at Pappy’s Sweet Shop.
66. Ice Polisher
Affectionately dubbed ice polishers by students, utility vehicles equipped with snow brooms are a common sight in winter months. Crews take to the sidewalks between midnight and 4:00 a.m. to begin clearing snow before students trudge to 7:30 a.m. classes across campus.
Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries
67. John Purdue’s Death Mask
John Purdue died of an apparent stroke on September 12, 1876, the first day of classes of the University’s third academic year. University trustees paid local dentist Anderson M. Moore $25 to cast a death mask of Purdue from plaster to be referenced in the creation of a statue, stating, “a handsome monument will ere long mark Mr. Purdue’s grave on the university grounds.” The mask was stored in a First National Bank vault. A statue of Purdue was not erected on campus until 2013.
Sit beside John Purdue’s statue on the Memorial Mall
68. John Purdue’s Summer Trousers
One of the wealthiest businessmen in the state, John Purdue typically wore a black bow tie and white shirt paired with a black vest, suit coat, and pants, though during the summer he would “occasionally” sport white linen trousers purchased in New York City. The waist of the pants is 42 inches and the inseam 30 inches. These trousers, part of the permanent collection at the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, were referenced during the creation of a life-size statue of Purdue to estimate a more accurate depiction of his body size.
Sit beside John Purdue’s statue on the Memorial Mall.
69. John Purdue’s Top Hat
John Purdue was born into poverty on October 31, 1802, in a 360-square-foot log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, where he lived with his parents and nine sisters, one of whom died in infancy. No one could have predicted what lay ahead for him. That one day he would become one of the most successful businessmen in the state of Indiana, sporting this gray felt hat he bought in New York. That he would use his wealth to establish Indiana’s land-grant university. That the name Purdue would be one of eminence, forever synonymous with innovation and progress. For John Purdue, education was the flame that lit the world.
John Purdue’s top hat is part of the permanent collection at the Tippecanoe County Historical Association.
Sit beside John Purdue’s statue on the Memorial Mall.
Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries
70. John Purdue’s Watch
John Purdue carried this gold pocket watch, which has his initials engraved on the back. It was purchased at an auction on December 30, 1876 — three months after Purdue’s death — by Fred H. Proper. It was later purchased in an Indiana pawn shop by Harry C. Guthrie and donated to the University by Lillian Dalman in 1995. Although few photos exist of John Purdue, most of them show him wearing a pocket watch.